title: Effective prevention and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection using a combination of catechins and sialic acid in AGS cells and BALB/c mice.
abstract: The increasing emergence of Helicobacter pylori strains resistant to antibiotics may cause unsuccessful treatment. An alternative agent or mixture with anti-H. pylori effect is urgently required to reduce H. pylori infection. We explored the preventive and therapeutic potential of a combination of catechins and sialic acid on H. pylori-infected human gastric cells in vitro and in mice in vivo. We evaluated the anti-H. pylori activity of catechins and/or sialic acid using the agar dilution and checkerboard methods. The effect of catechins and/or sialic acid on H. pylori infection-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis/autophagy in cell culture was explored using an ultrasensitive chemiluminescence analyzer, immunocytochemistry, and Western blotting. Specific pathogen-free BALB/c mice were divided into uninfected control, infected control, pretreated, and post-treated groups. The effects of catechins/sialic acid were determined by histology and immunocytochemistry. The combination of catechins and sialic acid showed synergistic or additive anti-H. pylori activity and significantly reduced inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and Bax/Bcl-2-mediated apoptosis but enhanced Beclin-1-mediated autophagy. All mice infected with H. pylori displayed gastritis and accumulation of 3-nitrotyrosine and 4-hydroxynonenal. Pretreatment with catechins/sialic acid completely prevented H. pylori infection and resulted in normal histology. Post-treatment with catechins/sialic acid decreased the bacterial load and gastritis score and eradicated up to 60% of H. pylori infections in a dose-dependent manner. This is the first demonstration to our knowledge of a nonprobiotic, nonantibiotic treatment that is 100% effective in preventing and has promising possibilities for treating H. pylori infection. Further studies are needed to confirm this result in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital and College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, 10043 Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jyh-Chin
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chia-Tung
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Shun
authors.forename: Chiang-Ting
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.forename: Teh-Hong
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002392:Catechin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013270:Stomach / Q000166:cytology; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002392:Catechin; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid